History of Arundel Castle History The Norman keep before restoration, by James Canter c.1770 There are nearly 1,000 years of history at this great castle, situated in magnificent grounds overlooking the River Arun in West Sussex and built at the end of the 11th century by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel. The oldest feature is the motte, an artificial mound, over 100 feet high from the dry moat, and constructed in 1068: followed by the gatehouse in 1070. Under his will, King Henry I (1068-1135) settled the Castle and lands in dower on his second wife, Adeliza of Louvain. Three years after his death she married William d'Albini II, who built the stone shell keep on the motte. King Henry II (1133-89), who built much of the oldest part of the stone Castle, in 1155 confirmed William d'Albini II as Earl of Arundel, with the Honour and Castle of Arundel.

Apart from the occasional reversion to the Crown, Arundel Castle has descended directly from 1138 to the present day, carried by female heiresses from the d'Albinis to the Fitzalans in the 13th century and then from the Fitzalans to the Howards in the 16th century and it has been the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk and their ancestors for over 850 years. From the 15th to the 17th centuries the Howards were at the forefront of English history, from the Wars of the Roses, through the Tudor period to the Civil War. Among the famous members of the Howard family are the 2nd Duke of Norfolk (1443-1524), the victor of Flodden, Lord Howard of Effingham, who with Sir Francis Drake repelled the Armada in 1588, the Earl of Surrey, the Tudor poet and courtier, and the 3rd Duke of Norfolk (1473-1554), uncle of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom became wives of King Henry VIII (1491-1547).

These were politically dangerous times: the 'Poet' Earl was executed in 1547; his father, the 3rd Duke of Norfolk only escaped the death penalty because King Henry VIII died the night before the execution was due and the 4th Duke (1536-72) was beheaded for plotting to marry Mary Queen of Scots. There have been two cardinals and a saint in the Howard family; St Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel (1557-95) died in the Tower of London for his faith. By contrast, his son, the 'Collector' 14th Earl (1585-1646), as his nickname suggests, was responsible for many of the treasures which can be seen today. The results of all this history are concentrated at the Castle, which houses a fascinating collection of fine furniture dating from the 16th century, tapestries, clocks, and portraits by Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Mytens, Lawrence, Reynolds, Canaletto and others.

Personal possessions of Mary, Queen of Scots and a selection of historical, religious and heraldic items from the Duke of Norfolk's collection are also on display. During the Civil War (1642-45), the Castle was badly damaged when it was twice besieged, first by Royalists who took control, then by Cromwell's Parliamentarian force led by William Waller. Nothing was done to rectify the damage until about 1718 when Thomas, the 8th Duke of Norfolk (1683-1732) carried out some repairs. Charles Howard, the 11th Duke (1746-1815), known to posterity as the 'Drunken Duke' and friend of the Prince Regent subsequently carried out further restoration. Queen Victoria (1819-1901) came from Osborne House with her husband, Prince Albert, for three days in 1846, for which the bedroom and library furniture were specially commissioned and made by a leading London furniture designer. Her portrait by William Fowler was also specially commissioned by the 13th Duke in 1843.

The building we see now owes much to Henry,15th Duke of Norfolk (1847-1917) and the restoration project was completed in 1900. It was one of the first English country houses to be fitted with electric light, integral fire fighting equipment, service lifts and central heating. The gravity fed domestic water supply also supplied the town. Electricity cost over £36,000 to install, but the splendidly carved chimneypiece in the Drawing Room only cost £150! Arundel Castle - Restored Norman Castle in England Arundel Castle BOOKS Arundel Castle is a restored medieval castle. It was founded by Roger de Montgomery on Christmas Day 1067. Roger became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel under William the Conqueror. From the 11th century onward, the castle has been in the family of the Duke of Norfolk, and is still the principal seat of the Howard family. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is a Grade I listed building.

The keep and gatehouse have been open to the public since 1800 and the gardens since 1854. Today you can visit the keep, castle, chapel and gardens. There is a Restaurant and a Gift Shop, and a range of events in the grounds along with educational and private tours. The castle is also available as a film location and for Corporate Events, Conferences, Pivate Functions and Banquets. The oldest feature is the motte, an artificial mound, over 100 feet high from the dry moat, and constructed in 1068: followed by the gatehouse in 1070. Many Earls of Arundel and Dukes of Norfolk were executed for treason, a pattern exacerbated when the pope of the day required all Roman Catholics in England to become treasonable by imposing on them on obligation to assassinate Quenn Elizabeth I. The 'Poet' Earl was executed in 1547; his father, the 3rd Duke of Norfolk only escaped the death penalty because King Henry VIII died the night before the execution was due and the 4th Duke (1536-72) was beheaded for plotting to marry Mary Queen of Scots.

There have been two cardinals and a saint in the Howard family; St Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel (1557-95) died in the Tower of London for treason. By contrast, his son, the 'Collector' 14th Earl (1585-1646), as his nickname suggests, was responsible for many of the treasures which can be seen today. The results of all this history are concentrated at the Castle, which houses a fascinating collection of fine furniture dating from the 16th century, tapestries, clocks, and portraits by Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Mytens, Lawrence, Reynolds, Canaletto and others. Personal possessions of Mary, Queen of Scots and a selection of historical, religious and heraldic items from the Duke of Norfolk's collection are also on display. Arundel Castle is now the home of The Duke and Duchess of Norfolk and their children. The Duke of Norfolk is the Premier Duke, the title having been conferred on Sir John Howard in 1483 by his friend King Richard III. The Dukedom has carried with it the hereditary office of Earl Marshal of England.

This means that the Duke is in charge of state ceremonial such as the coronation and funeral of the sovereign and such occasions as the sovereign declares shall be a state occasion, e.g. the investiture of HRH The Prince of Wales and the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill. Visitors often ask about the relationship of the English sovereign to the Dukes of Norfolk: they share a common ancestor in King Edward I (1239-1307) and also King Edward III (1312-1377). As Earl Marshal, the Duke is head of the College of Arms, founded in 1484, the official authority on heraldry and genealogy in England and Wales. Arundel Castle is located in Arundel, West Sussex, England. Gatwick Airport is less than an hour's journey by road or rail. By car the castle is 4 miles north of Littlehampton and the south coast, and midway between Chichester and Worthing on the A27. Follow the brown and white tourist road signs. Pay & Display car park directly opposite the Castle's Lower Lodge entrance in Mill Road .

There is a frequent direct train service from London (Victoria Station) and intermediate stations, including Gatwick Airport. Frequent trains also run from Brighton, Worthing, Littlehampton, Bognor Regis, Chichester and Portsmouth. (Some journeys involve a change of train.) The Castle is a ten-minute walk or a short taxi ride from Arundel station. Stagecoach Coastliner Service 700 runs half hourly (Monday to Saturdays only) between Brighton, Worthing, Littlehampton and Arundel. National Express Service runs daily from Eastbourne to Falmouth via Brighton, Worthing, Arundel, Chichester, Havant, Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth. Free Coach parking opposite the Castle's Lower Lodge entrance in Mill Road.

Address: Telephone from the UK: 01903 882173 Telephone from the US: 010 44 1903 882173 Telephone from France: 00 44 1903 882173 Telephone from other countries: +44 (0)1903 882173 Fax: 01903 884581 Google map showing the location of Arundel Castle Google map showing Arundel Castle Arundel Castle was built during the reign of William the Conqueror as a fortification for the mouth of the River Arun and a defensive position for the surrounding land against invasion from the Continent. The original structure was a motte and double bailey castle. Roger de Montgomery was declared the first Earl of Arundel as the King granted him the property as part of a much larger package of hundreds of manors. Roger was a cousin of William's and had stayed in Normandy to keep the peace there whilst William was off in England.

He was rewarded for his loyalty with extensive lands in the Welsh Marches and across the country, together with one third of Sussex. After Roger de Montgomery died, the castle reverted to the crown under Henry I. The King, in his will, left Arundel Castle and the attached land to his second wife Adeliza of Louvain. In 1138, three years after Henry's death, she married William d'Albini II (aka d'Aubigny), the first Earl, of the d'Aubigny family of Saint-Martin-d'Aubigny in Normandy. William was responsible for creating the stone shell on the motte, thus increasing the defence and status of the castle. Arundel Castle and the earldom have passed through generations almost directly since 1138, with occasional reversions to the crown and other nobles for a brief time. In 1139, the Empress Matilda was invited to stay at Arundel for some time during her travel to press her claim to the English throne upon Stephen. The stone apartments constructed to accommodate the Empress and her entourage survive to this day.

In 1176, William d'Aubigny died and Arundel Castle reverted to the crown, under Henry II, who spent a vast amount of capital re-structuring the building, mainly for domestic needs. When Henry died, the castle remained in the possession of Richard I ("the Lionheart"), who offered it to the Aubigny family line under William III comte de Sussex. The last in the Aubigny male line was Hugh, who died at a young age in 1243. When his sister Isabel wed John FitzAlan of Clun, the castle and earldom passed to him. The FitzAlan family enjoyed an uninterrupted hereditary line until 1580. On the death of the seventh Earl in 1272, Arundel Castle and the earldom passed to his five-year-old son Richard. Thirteen years later, Edward I granted Richard the right to hold two fairs per year at the castle as well as the power to collect taxes. This grant provided funding for the much needed renovation of the castle, which, by this time, had fallen into disrepair. Once sufficient funds were available, FitzAlan added the well tower and re-constructed the entrance to the keep.

After Richard's death, his son Edmund was executed for his part in the rebellion against Edward II. Arundel subsequently passed to the 6th son of Edward I who was also executed. The castle and titles then passed back to the FitzAlans four years later. The tenth Earl, Richard, fought at the Crécy with Edward III and tEdward, the Black Prince. FitzAlan was also responsible for constructing the FitzAlan Chapel, built posthumously according to his will. In 1380 the future Henry IV of England maried Mary de Bohun here. The eleventh Earl, also called Richard, was beaten by King Richard II, for his poor manners. At the funeral of the Queen Anne, the Earl arrived late and then asked to leave early. Richard II later grew tired of his treachery and executed the Earl before confiscating his property. Arundel was given by the crown to John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, but when he was executed by Henry IV, Arundel was returned to the FitzAlan line once again. The next earl, Thomas, married the daughter of John of Portugal.

The couple eventually became the first members of the FitzAlan family to be buried in the chapel built by Richard FitzAlan, the tenth Earl. The FitzAlan line ceased when Mary FitzAlan, daughter of the nineteenth earl, married Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk. The crown seized Arundel upon his execution for conspiring to marry Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1572. The castle was later returned to his heirs, the successor Earls of Arundel. Although the castle remained in the hands of the Howard family over the succeeding centuries, it was not their favourite residence. Various Dukes of Norfolk invested time and energy into improving other ducal estates, including Norfolk House in London and Worksop. During the Civil War (1642-45), the Castle was badly damaged when it was twice besieged, first by Royalists who took control, then by Cromwell's Parliamentarian force led by William Waller. Nothing was done to rectify the damage until about 1718 when Thomas, the 8th Duke of Norfolk (1683-1732) carried out some repairs.

Charles Howard, the 11th Duke (1746-1815), known to posterity as the 'Drunken Duke' and friend of the Prince Regent subsequently carried out further restoration beginning in 1787 and continuing for a number of years, as he desired to live there and entertain his visitors there. Many of his improvements have since been revised and remodelled, but the library in the castle is still as he had it designed and built. He held a large party at Arundel Castle to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta shortly before his death in 1815. In 1846, Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert visited Arundel Castle for a few days. Henry Charles Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk had remodelled the castle in time for her visit. He was thinking of disposing of some of the 11th Duke of Norfolk's work, as there had been complaints from the celebrities of the day that it was too cold, dark and unfriendly.

The Duke devised a new apartment block for the new Queen and her Consort, Prince Albert to stay in, commissioning a portrait of the Queen and decorating the block with the finest of Victorian furniture and art. There was also a re-structuring of bedrooms for the court. The Duke spared no expense to make the Queen's visit enjoyable, and he succeeded. The Queen was received on December 1, 1846 by the Duke, Edward Howard Howard-Gibbon the Mayor of Arundel, and other town dignitaries, and then she retired to her private apartments in the castle. On her visit she walked in the newly designed grounds and visited areas of the county nearby, including Petworth House. Almost every part of the castle that the Queen would visit was re-furbished and exquisitely decorated to Royal standards. At the end of her visit, she wrote to the Duke and commented on how enjoyable her visit was, commenting on the "beautiful" castle and the friendliness of her reception. The suite of rooms in which Victoria stayed are now part of the family's private apartments but the suite of bedroom furniture made for her is on display.

Among other things to see are the Queen's bed, the guest book bearing her and her Consort's signature. Soon after the Royal visit, the 14th Duke began re-structuring the castle once again. The 14th Duke died before its completion, and the work was overseen by his successor, the 15th Duke. Work was completed in 1900, and the castle began to look like the structure on display today. It was one of the first English country houses to be fitted with electric light, integral fire fighting equipment, service lifts and central heating. The gravity fed domestic water supply also supplied the town. Electricity cost over £36,000 to install, but the splendidly carved chimneypiece in the Drawing Room only cost £150! Changes were made to the grounds and the dark Victorian gardens were replanted to make them bright and colourful. The problem of light within the castle itself was tackled by the replacement of windows to make the interior brighter. The keep was restructured later on, but the original keep was kept until then for its antiquity and picturesque setting. The 16th Duke had planned to give the castle to the National Trust.

Following his death in 1975, the 17th Duke cancelled the plan. The 17th Duke created an independent charitable trust to guarantee the castle's future as an economically viable residence, and oversaw restorative carried out at Arundel. The castle remains the principal seat of the Dukes of Norfolk, the dukedom currently being held by the 18th Duke, who is also the Earl Marshal of England and Chief Butler of England. Founded in 1390 by the 4th Earl of Arundel and situated in the grounds of Arundel Castle, the Fitzalan Chapel is still the burial place of the Dukes of Norfolk. It is a fine example of Gothic architecture with a carved timber roof and choir stalls. The carved stone tombs are of major artistic interest. In 1879 it was determined that the Chapel did not form part of the Protestant parish church but was an independent ecclesiastical structure and therefore remains Catholic. A glass wall now divides the Chapel from the parish church; an unusual, if not unique, anomaly in England. Access involves a ramp and a step to the gardens and 9 steps up to the Chapel.

Film Location For: The Collector Earl's Garden and other Gardens The new formal garden at Arundel has been conceived as a light-hearted tribute to Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel (1585-1646), known as ‘The Collector’. He died in exile in Padua during the English Civil War and though his body was brought back to England and buried in the Fitzalan Chapel at Arundel, the elaborate tomb which he had specified in his will was never erected. This garden, adjoining the church, is now his memorial. Lord Arundel was the first of the great English art collectors, whose antique marbles are now at Oxford, and the library at the Royal Society; but the magnificent Van Dyck and Mytens portraits and some other objects commissioned or collected by him form the basis of the collection now at Arundel Castle, while his retrieval of lost family estates, titles and honours after the disasters of his ancestors’ executions and attainders in the previous century were instrumental in the revival of the Norfolk family. The new garden occupies about a third of the area of the Georgian and Victorian walled kitchen garden,.

The walled garden originally supplied flowers and vegetables to the castle and to Norfolk House but was gradually given up after the Second World War and was largely derelict by the 1970s. The present Duke and Duchess, with the c backing of the Castle Trustees, have already re-created the rest of this area as an organic kitchen garden; part of a general programme of restoration and enhancement of the whole castle and grounds undertaken over the last twenty years or so. This new garden has been designed by Isabel and Julian Bannerman with Russell Taylor as job architect, and has been conceived as a Jacobean formal garden. It is an imaginative re-creation of what the Collector Earl’s formal garden may have been like at Arundel House, his town palace overlooking the Thames in London (now the site of the Howard Hotel and Temple Underground Station). The domed pergola and fountains are based on those seen in the garden vista in the background of the famous Mytens portrait of the Countess of Arundel in the drawing room, while the various gateways and pavilions are based on Inigo Jones’s designs for Arundel House preserved at the RIBA Drawings Collection. They have been executed in green oak.

The grand centrepiece is the rockwork ‘mountain’ planted with palms and rare ferns to represent another world, supporting a green oak version of ‘Oberon’s Palace’, a fantastic spectacle designed by Inigo Jones for Prince Henry’s Masque on New Year’s Day 1611, flanked by two green oak obelisks. This contains a shell-lined interior with a stalagmite fountain and gilded coronet ‘dancing’ on top of the jet. The garden is divided into formal courts with a centre canal pond and tufa-lined cascade. The planting is restrained—no flowers but catalpas, scented magnolia grandiflora and shrubs. The garden is an evocation of a Jacobean garden, not a re-creation.. Before the present 18th Duke and Duchess moved permanently to the Castle in 1987, the gardens had been largely neglected. Over the intervening years the Duchess, together with the head gardener, has transformed the 2 acres allocated to the gardens. There are hot and cool herbaceous borders with contrasting foliage plants, a cut flower border which together with the ornamental Victorian kitchen garden supplies the Castle with fresh fruit, vegetables and cut flowers.

A rare lean-to peach house and vinery, originally built in 1850 by Clarke & Hope, has been restored to its former glory and houses exotic fruit and vegetables. The sheltered location of the gardens makes it possible for many of the tender perennials such as cannas and salvias to remain in the ground throughout the winter. The Fitzalan Chapel has its own small garden charmingly planted in white and there is also a newly planted rose garden in what was once an 18th Century bowling green. The arms of the present Duke Quarterly 1st Gules on a Bend between six Cross-crosslets fitchy Argent an Escutcheon Or charged with a Demi-lion rampant pierced through the mouth by an arrow within a Double Tressure flory counterflory of the first (Howard); 2nd Gules three Lions passant gardant in pale Or, Armed and Langued Azure, in chief a Label of three points Argent (Thomas of Brotherton); 3rd Checky Or and Azure (Warenne); 4th Gules a Lion rampant Or, Armed and Langued Azure (Fitzalan). Arundel Castle : a seat of the Duke of Norfolk E.M.

: a short history and guide (Book, 1994) [WorldCat.org] The E-mail message field is required. Please enter the message. E-mail Message: I thought you might be interested in this item at Title: Arundel Castle : a seat of the Duke of Norfolk E.M. : a short history and guide Author: John Martin Robinson; Dukes of Norfolk Publisher: Chichester, Sussex : Phillimore, 1994. ISBN/ISSN: 0850339049 9780850339048 OCLC:32894060 The ReCaptcha terms you entered were incorrect. Please try to match the 2 words shown in the window, or try the audio version. Arundel Castle : ancestral seat of the Dukes of Norfolk. (Book, 1979) [WorldCat.org] The E-mail message field is required. Please enter the message. E-mail Message: I thought you might be interested in this item at Title: Arundel Castle : ancestral seat of the Dukes of Norfolk.

Author: John Martin Robinson Publisher: [Arundel?] : [Arundel Castle Trustees Ltd.], [1979?] OCLC:34059656 The ReCaptcha terms you entered were incorrect. Please try to match the 2 words shown in the window, or try the audio version. Ten dukes-a-dining: Gathered together over lunch for a unique picture, the grandees with £2bn and 340,000 acres between them | Daily Mail Online Ten dukes-a-dining: Gathered together over lunch for a unique picture, the grandees with £2bn and 340,000 acres between them comments At first glance, it might resemble the board meeting of a firm of auctioneers or a convention of prep school headmasters. On closer inspection, it is actually a remarkable portrait of the grandest club in Britain, a super-elite who account for some 340,000 acres, more than £2billion and 4,505 years of aristocratic moving and shaking. Some owe their fortunes to bravery in battle, others to royal philandering or political chicanery.

But they are all distantly related to each other and they are all addressed in exactly the same way: Your Grace. Outside the Royal Family, dukedoms have only ever been granted to a handful of men of power and influence. The assembled: (from left to right) 1. James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose; 2. David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland; 3. John Seymour, 19th Duke of Somerset; 4. Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland; 5. Andrew Russell, 15th Duke of Bedford; 6. Edward Fizalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk; 7. Torquhil Campbell, 18th Duke of Argyll; 8. Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Duke of Leinster; 9. Murray Beauclerk, 14th Duke of St Albans; 10. Arthur Wellesey, 8th Duke of Wellington.

See list below for details Dukes are just one rung down from royalty in the social pecking order and enjoy a special status way above the rank and file of the aristocracy. As peerages go, it's the jackpot. Today, there are just 24 non-royal dukes in existence, down from a total of 40 in their Georgian heyday. And it's fair to say that no modern monarch or government is likely to create any more. So, to celebrate its 300th birthday, Tatler magazine decided to invite this dwindling band of mega-toffs to a ducal lunch. The result was the largest gathering of dukes since the Coronation of 1953. Some were too frail to attend. Some live abroad. But ten of them gathered for oysters and Dover sole in London's clubland. And the result is this intriguing study of 21st century nobility. 'After 300 years, we wanted to recapture the spirit of the original Tatler, and what better than a room full of dukes,' says Tatler editor Catherine Ostler. Once, the holders of these titles would have been the A-list celebrities of their time.

Today, most people would be pushed to name a single one of them. With hereditary peers cast out into the political wilderness, dukes might seem little more than a comic anachronism in modern Britain. While they retain their rank and social clout, their only power is financial. In the case of, say, the Duke of Bedford, this amounts to £500million in art, London property and a large slab of Home Counties commuter belt. As for the Duke of Leinster, whose grandfather ran a teashop, it is next to nothing. A very special edition: The picture appears in the November issue of Tatler magazine Yet many dukes still play an active part in public life. The Duke of Norfolk, as hereditary Earl Marshal, is still responsible for organising the State Opening of Parliament and any coronations which should occur. The Duke of Northumberland runs several public bodies across the North East while his wife is the local Lord Lieutenant. The very first dukedom was a royal affair. In 1337, Edward III created his son, the Black Prince, the Duke of Cornwall.

The title derives from the Latin dux - leader - and, throughout history, fewer than 500 British men have held the rank of 'Duke'. The last non-royal dukedom was created in 1900 for the former Earl of Fife, who was upgraded to Duke following his wedding to Queen Victoria's granddaughter. There might have been a new one in 1955 when the Queen offered one to Churchill, but he declined, preferring to die a commoner. The only non-duke at the Tatler gathering was historian Andrew Roberts, invited to chronicle the event. 'They're all related and they all stick up for each other,' he recalls. But he fears that dukes could become an endangered species. 'Not long ago, two important dukedoms - Newcastle and Portland - became extinct,' says the historian. 'So, my parting plea to the dukes was simple, even if it startled some of them. I simply said: 'Keep procreating!' The Who's Who of Dukedom: 1 James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose Age: 72. Title created: 1707.

Other titles include Viscount Dundaff and Lord Aberuthven, Mugdock and Fintrie. Seat: Auchmar, a modest estate near Loch Lomond. Wealth: A high-ranking, but lower league landowner with 8,800 acres valued at around £1 million in 2001. History: The dukedom was awarded for supporting the Act of Union in 1707. The sixth Duke helped to invent the aircraft carrier during World War I. The present Duke spent part of his childhood in a mud hut in Rhodesia (where his father was building a farm). Instead of the usual Eton education, he attended Loretto School in Edinburgh - just like the Chancellor, Alistair Darling. 2 David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland Age: 50. Title created: 1703. Other titles include Marquess of Granby and Baron Roos of Belvoir. Seat: Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire. Wealth: Ranked 474th in the latest Rich List, he is valued at £115 million.

Estates across Leicestershire (12,000 acres), Derbyshire (10,000 acres), Cambridgeshire (4,000 acres) and Lincolnshire (2,000 acres). History: While the main seat, Belvoir, is a magnificent 365-room pile with an underground railway and £100 million of art, the family also owns Haddon Hall in Derbyshire, widely recognised as one of Britain's finest medieval and Tudor manor houses. A previous Marquess of Granby (later the third duke) was a popular soldier and helped many of his men with their retirement, hence the number of pubs called the Marquess of Granby. 3 John Seymour, 19th Duke of Somerset Age: 56. Title created: 1547. His other title is Lord Seymour. Seat: Maiden Bradley, Somerset. Wealth: Around 5,000 acres of Somerset, including several villages. History: He is a descendant of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife. The first Duke of Somerset, Edward Seymour, was Jane's brother.

The family owns the fourposter oak bed in which Edward VI is said to have been conceived. Having rented out his main house at £50,000 a year, the Duke runs the estate from a smaller house in Devon. 4 Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland Age: 52. Title created: 1766. Other titles include Earl Percy, Earl of Beverley, Baron Warkworth. Seat: Alnwick Castle, Northumberland. Wealth: With 132,000 acres, Syon Park in West London and a substantial art collection, he is valued at £300 million and ranked No. 178 on the latest Rich List. History: Part of the original Norman Conquest gang, the Percy family have been dominant in their part of the country for centuries. Alnwick Castle is the authentic knight-in-shining-armour fortress and has featured in Blackadder and the Harry Potter films. The present Duke recently sold a Raphael painting to the nation for £22 million, a deal which attracted controversy because of the use of Lottery funds. The newly-refurbished Alnwick Garden is a major tourist attraction.

5 Andrew Russell, 15th Duke of Bedford Age: 47. Title created: 1694. Other titles include Marquess of Tavistock and Baron Howland Seat: Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire Wealth: Valued at £489million. Owns 23,000 acres and prime central London real estate. History: The first Duke fought on both sides in the Civil War and was ennobled after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The family has made Woburn Abbey a major tourist attraction and the present Duke is busy refurbishing much of the London estate (significantly smaller than it once was after much of it became part of London University). The family were stars of the BBC's Country House series. 6 Edward Fizalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk Age: 53. Title created: 1483. Other titles include Earl of Surrey and Baron Maltravers. Seat: Arundel Castle, West Sussex.

Wealth: Half his 30,000 acres are in leafy West Sussex, while the family also owns a ten-acre parcel of London valued at £100 million in 2001. History: As England's senior duke, Norfolk carries the hereditary title of Earl Marshal. As such, he plays an important role in running state occasions. The family's royal links stretch back centuries and the present Duke's wife, Georgina, stands in for the Queen at rehearsals of the State Opening of Parliament. The Duke's eldest son and heir, Henry, the Earl of Arundel, 21, is a promising Formula Three driver. 7 Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll Age: 41. Title created: 1701. Other titles include Marquess of Kintyre and Lorne, Viscount Lochow and Glenilla and Lord Morvern. Seat: Inveraray Castle, Argyllshire. Wealth: Family owns 60,000 acres of Scotland, valued at £12.5m in 2001.

History: The dukedom comes with plenty of baggage, including the hereditary posts of Master of HM's Household in Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. The family suffered serious scandal in the Sixties, when the divorce proceedings of the 11th duke unearthed a famous photograph of his soon-to-be former wife with a mysterious naked man. The present duke, when not working in the whisky trade, is captain of the Scottish elephant polo team. 8 Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Duke of Leinster Age: 61. Title created: 1766. Other titles include Marquess of Kildare and Earl of Offaly Seat: Formerly Carton House, Co. Kildare. Now a farmhouse in Oxfordshire. Wealth: No landholdings of any note, the Duke works as a landscape gardener. History: The FitzGeralds assisted Edward I in his battles against the Scots. The family fortunes declined in the 20th century after the 7th Duke sold his interests in the family estates and was then declared bankrupt.

His fourth wife, with whom he opened a teashop in Rye in 1965, was the caretaker of the block of flats in which he lived. Educated at Millfield, the present Duke is president of the Oxfordshire Dyslexia Association. 9 Murray Beauclerk, 14th Duke of St Albans Age: 70. Title created: 1684. Other titles include Earl of Burford, and Baron Heddington. Seat: A terrace house in Knightsbridge, London. Wealth: Never a great landowning family, the Beauclerks were said to own 4,000 acres, worth £12m, in 2001. History: The first Duke was the illegitimate son of Charles II and Nell Gwyn. Though the present Duke is a Tonbridge-educated chartered accountant, an eccentric strain still runs through family. His heir, the Earl of Burford, has long campaigned to prove his ancestor, Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was the true author of the works of Shakespeare.

In 1999, the young Earl was forcibly expelled from the House of Lords for jumping on the Woolsack and accusing the Government of treason in its expulsion of hereditary peers. 10 Arthur Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington Age: 94. Title created: 1814. Other titles include Prince of Waterloo, Duke of Vittoria and Earl of Mornington. Seat: Stratfield Saye House, Hampshire and Apsley House, London. Wealth: 7,000-acre Hampshire estate, 20,000 acres of Belgium and Spain. Thought to be worth £50m in 2001. History: Like the original Iron Duke, the present Duke had a long Army career, winning the Military Cross and reaching the rank of Brigadier. In later life, he has devoted himself to his estates and charities, coming top in Country Life's 'Good Duke Guide' in 1991. His heir, the Marquess of Douro, is a former Tory MEP while his daughter, Lady Jane Wellesley, was once talked of as a bride for the Prince of Wales.

More recent beaux include Melvyn Bragg and Loyd Grossman. Arundel Cathedral - Home Home Welcome to the web site for Arundel Cathedral, cathedral church for the catholic diocese of Arundel and Brighton. Situated in a prominent position in London Road, Arundel, West Sussex, England the cathedral overlooks the ancient town of Arundel on the west bank of the river Arun, where the valley opens out into the coastal plain. Duke of Norfolk's niece calls for inheritance law change over castle and title | Daily Mail Online Share this article Share Speaking in this month's issue of Town and Country magazine, 39-year-old Lady Kinvara said: 'It runs through our DNA. 'Downton Abbey highlighted what I've seen all my life: the daughter is the disappointment.

I've had primogeniture rubbed in my face from both side of my family.' Lady Kinvara Balfour, whose grandfather was the 17th Duke of Norfolk, has blasted inheritance law which means firstborn men inherit titles and estates, saying the 'bonkers' rule should be scrapped Speaking to Town & Country magazine, she said: 'Downton Abbey highlighted what I've seen all my life: the daughter is the disappointment. I've had primogeniture rubbed in my face from both side of my family' Lady Kinvara (pictured front centre) said she is on good terms with her uncle, the current Duke, but would have liked the estate to have passed to her mother after the death of the previous Duke (pictured back centre) Had Lady Kinvara's mother, Lady Tessa, been born a boy then should would have inherited Arundel Castle, West Sussex, the traditional seat of the Norfolk dukedom THE RIGHT OF THE FIRSTBORN MALE CHILD TO INHERIT THE ESTATE Primogeniture is the right of the firstborn male child to inherit the family estate. The Normans introduced the common law to the UK in 1066. The law puts male children ahead of female children, irrespective of age.

Variations on primogeniture have since modified the right of the firstborn son to the entirety of a family's inheritance. Ministers have also labelled the rules 'discriminatory', with further talks about changing the laws. Primogeniture was also applied to the British monarchy until October 2011. The move brought the UK in line with most European monarchies, who had already established an equal law of succession. It also means the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's new daughter will not be usurped from fourth in line to the throne if the couple have any other boys. Now only Spain, Liechtenstein and Monaco are left with the old system. She is now calling for the laws to be scrapped, bringing them in line with the royal family. The constitution was amended in 2013 before the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first child to ensure the throne would pass to them, whether it was a boy or a girl. Lady Kinvara added that she is on good terms with her uncle, the 18th Duke, and that he works incredibly hard to maintain the castle, but she feels the property should have passed to her mother. She said: 'I get nothing from whistleblowing.

I simply believe that property and land should stay together and that a home should go to one person: the eldest born. 'I appreciate that to run Arundel Castle and all its land and all its game, its crops, its farms, is a huge, huge job. But it's a huge job for anybody, so give it to the woman.' The castle dates back to the end of the 11th century when it was built by Roger de Montgomery, the Earl of Arundel, with the motte upon which it sits completed in 1068. The land was passed to Adeliza of Louvain, the second wife of Henry I, after he died, and then passed to William d'Albini II in 1138 when she remarried. Lady Kinvara called primogeniture 'archaic, mad and bonkers' and asked for it to be scrapped to bring it in line with the royal family (pictured, the Norfolk family tree) The full feature appears in Town & Country Summer 2015 issue, which is on sale May 5 Apart from the occasional reversion to the Crown, Arundel Castle has descended directly from 1138 to the present day.

It was carried by female heiresses from the d'Albinis to the Fitzalans in the 13th century and then from the Fitzalans to the Howards in the 16th century. It has been the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk and their ancestors for more than 850 years. Lady Tessa is the eldest of five siblings. Her younger sister, Lady Carina, is married to Sir David Frost, while third-born Lady Marcia is an actress. Edward, the current Duke, no resides at Arundel, and has a younger brother, Lord Gerald. Lady Kinvara, who describes herself as a entrepreneur, fashion writer, playwright and socialite, now lives in a flat in Earl's Court, west London. The full feature appears in Town & Country Summer 2015 issue on sale May 5 Read more: Dukes gather for historic Tatler picture - Telegraph Dukes gather for historic Tatler picture They are a rare species indeed, and seldom sighted together in such numbers. The Tatler lunch represented the largest gathering of dukes since the Coronation Follow This photograph captures the largest gathering of dukes in one place since the Queen's coronation more than 50 years ago.

During the reign of King George I, there were 40 ducal families in Britain. Today, there are just 24 - excluding royal dukes - and 10 of them assembled for this picture by Tatler magazine, which hailed them as "diligent yet unpaid guardians of our national heritage". They include Arthur Valerian Wellesley, the 8th Duke of Wellington, who is a sprightly 94. Britain's youngest duke, 41-year-old Torquhil Campbell, the 13th Duke of Argyll, also appears in the photograph, taken at Wiltons restaurant in St James's. Ducal status is second only in rank to that of the royal family, and the last dukedom was created in 1900. The Queen offered the dukedom of London to Winston Churchill in 1955, but he turned it down, opting to remain a commoner rather than relinquish his seat in the House of Commons.

The dukes (pictured from left to right) are: James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose Seat: Auchmar, Drymen, near Loch Lomond Lineage: title bestowed in 1707 Miscellany: the only duke to retain a seat in the House of Lords, as one of 92 elected hereditary peers.

David Charles Robert Manners, the 11th Duke of Rutland Seat: Belvoir Castle, Grantham, Leics/Lincs [NOTE TO SUBS Grantham in Lincs as far as I know but the family website insists it's in Leics] Lineage: title bestowed in 1703 Miscellany: Belvoir Castle was built by Robert de Todeni, standard bearer for William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings John Michael Edward Seymour, the 19th Duke of Somerset Seat: Berry Pomeroy, Totnes, Devon Lineage: title bestowed in 1547 Miscellany: the 1st duke was Edward Seymour, eldest brother of Jane Seymour, wife of Henry VIII Ralph George Algernon Percy, the 12th Duke of Northumberland Seat: Alnwick Castle, Northumberland Lineage: title bestowed upon the Percy family in 1766 Miscellany: Alnwick Castle is the model of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardy in the Harry Potter films Andrew Ian Henry Russell, the 15th Duke of Bedford Seat: Woburn Abbey, Beds Lineage: title bestowed in 1694 Miscell

any: the 15th duke was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and edcuated at Harrow and Harvard Edward William Fitzalan Howard, the 18th Duke of Norfolk Seat: Arundel Castle, West Sussex Lineage: title created by Richard III in 1483 Miscellany: the highest ranking duke in England Torquhil Ian Campbell, the 13th Duke of Argyll Seat: Inveraray Castle, Argyllshire Lineage: title created under the peerage of Scotland in 1701, of the UK in 1892 Miscellany: captain of Scotland's national elephant polo team Maurice FitzGerald, the 9th Duke of Leinster Seat: formerly Carton House, Co Kildare Lineage: title created 1766

Question: Which castle is the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk?
Answer: Arundel